First Full Day in Beijing

We had a full and wonderful day. We had breakfast at the hotel, then our guide Helena and our driver Liu met us and took us to Tien'an Men Square. The square is massive and spectacular, flanked by the Great Hall of the People (essentially China's Capitol building), Mao's mausoleum and the iconic portrait of Mao over the Gate of Heavenly Peace.

We went through a series of gates into the Forbidden City. In the center of the complex is the Hall of Supreme Harmony which holds the throne where the emperor sat for important ceremonies. The Forbidden City is about 600 years old and was the seat of power during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Helena told us the story of the Empress Dowager Ci Xi, who essentially ran China for most of the last half of the 19th century. Finally we toured the beautiful Imperial Gardens.

After a delicious lunch (we ate so much that we ended up skipping dinner), Helena took us to the Temple of Heaven. This is a mostly outdoor complex where the Emperor would make sacrifices to heaven to wish for a good harvest. At the center is the Qinian Dian, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, which is gorgeous. The surrounding grounds contain beautiful gardens where we saw some elderly Chinese playing cards and others exercising, both favorite pastimes.

A recurring theme in the places we visited is balance and harmony.

Speaking of which, we ended our day day watching a show of Chinese acrobats. Tremendous feats of strength and daring. They are a bit hard to describe, but it was amazing.

The day started hazy, but got so clear in the afternoon that we could see the mountains in the distance. Today, we visit the Great Wall.